The Vivo IPL 12 campaign of Ben Stokes came to an end on Thursday after the match between Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders which RR won by 3 wickets to keep their slim chances in the IPL alive. Ben Stokes flew back to England on Friday to prepare for a bilateral ODI series against Pakistan which will serve as a preparation for the World Cup. Ben Stokes is part of the England 15 member preliminary squad for the 2019 World Cup.
Ben Stokes had a very poor stint with both bat and ball in the 12the edition of IPL. The southpaw managed to score 123 runs in 9 matches and picked up just 6 wickets at a below-par economy rate of 20.50. His only good outing came in a losing cause against the Chennai Super Kings when he scored 46 of just 29 deliveries.
Ben Stokes was part of the Rajasthan Royals playing eleven in all the match but never got to any rhythm with either the bat nor the ball. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are almost out of contention for the playoffs. However, they must be optimistic of their chances as they qualified for the playoffs last year from a similar situation.
They would have definitely loved to have Stokes in the back end of the tournament. Despite his indifferent form in the tournament, there is no doubt about that Ben Stokes is a big match and could have made a difference for RR in the remaining 3 matches.
He has already flown back to England will also miss the Rajasthan Royals who have persisted with him despite not performing through the course of the tournament. Taking to his Twitter handle, Stokes wrote an emotional letter for the Rajasthan Royals. “After the England team and Durham, Rajasthan Royals is a team I hold dear to my heart,” said Ben Stokes.
Here is the full speech of the emotional speech from Ben Stokes
"After the England team and Durham, Rajasthan Royals is a team I hold dear to my heart." ?@benstokes38 signed off with an emotional speech. Best of luck, Ben! ?? #HallaBol pic.twitter.com/86VI0XEopN
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 26, 2019